Youth Suicide Risk Factors and Attitudes in New York and Vienna: A Cross-Cultural Comparison

The prevalence of suicide risk factors and attitudes about suicide and help‐seeking among New York and Viennese adolescents were compared in order to explore possible cross‐cultural differences. Viennese adolescents exhibited higher rates of depressive symptomatology than their New York counterparts...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Suicide & life-threatening behavior 2006-10, Vol.36 (5), p.539-552
Main Authors: Dervic, Kanita, Gould, Madelyn S., Lenz, Gerhard, Kleinman, Marjorie, Akkaya-Kalayci, Tuerkan, Velting, Drew, Sonneck, Gernot, Friedrich, Max H.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adolescents
Adult and adolescent clinical studies
Austria - epidemiology
Biological and medical sciences
College Students
Cross cultural studies
Cross-Cultural Comparison
Depression - ethnology
Female
Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
High School Students
Humans
Male
Medical sciences
New York - epidemiology
Patient Acceptance of Health Care
Peer Group
Psychology
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychopathology. Psychiatry
Risk Factors
School Health Services
Self destructive behavior
Sex Factors
Student Financial Aid
Substance-Related Disorders - ethnology
Suicide
Suicide - ethnology
Suicide - prevention & control
Suicide - psychology
Suicides & suicide attempts
Teenagers
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Summary:The prevalence of suicide risk factors and attitudes about suicide and help‐seeking among New York and Viennese adolescents were compared in order to explore possible cross‐cultural differences. Viennese adolescents exhibited higher rates of depressive symptomatology than their New York counterparts and had more first‐hand experience with suicidal peers. More attribution of suicide to mental illness was reported in Vienna; yet Viennese youth were less likely than New York adolescents to recognize the seriousness of suicide threats. Help‐seeking patterns of Viennese adolescents were influenced by their setting a high value on confidentiality. These cross‐cultural differences may reflect the limited exposure of Austrian youth to school‐based suicide prevention programs. The findings highlight the need of taking the sociocultural context into consideration in the planning of youth suicide prevention strategies.
ISSN:0363-0234
1943-278X
DOI:10.1521/suli.2006.36.5.539